Wrist-worn stopwatches and heart-rate monitors for athletes have been around for a while, but they force you to hold up your wrist, potentially breaking your rhythm at a crucial moment. Now a German company called Rodenstock has developed a tiny heads-up display that lets you see your heart rate in the corner of your eye without the need to move a muscle. While the prototype shows only the heart rate and timing information, the 320 x 240-pixel display is detailed enough to include GPS information and a blood-pressure monitor. At only 7 grams, including the 12-hour battery, the device is lighter than the three jelly beans you probably had for breakfast before the race.

Rodenstock expects the production version, dubbed Informance, to be available in about two years, starting at around $1,000. — Michael Trei

Via New Scientist